The "Cry it out" method-
Best thing I ever did.
To be honest, I didn't even know
this was a "method" until after I started to talking to other Mom's
about it. Like I mentioned before, Cameron didn't sleep through the night until
he was 18 months old. There was no way in God's green earth that I was going to
let bed time be another struggle.
How it works.
I made sure that night time was a
routine- dinner, bath, night time lotion, pajamas, story, prayer, bed. End of
story. I also made sure that there was NO light in the room (meaning no cracked
door, no night light), and used a regular box fan for white noise. Bed time was
bed time. We would check on him once (to ensure his safety of course), and
that's it. If he cried, he cried- and he very quickly found that bed time was
not for playing around, Mommy and Daddy aren't kidding, it's time to sleep.
A few fears mothers have/bad habits
that form
· What if he rolls over? So what! You shouldn't have anything
in the crib that they can suffocate on.
· What if he's scared? Scared of what? Sleeping? It's YOU
that's scared- so get over it.
· Leaving the door cracked. They can hear everything going on
in the house, and it'll keep them up. This is especially important to start
early! When they are older and can get out of bed, they will do just that. Then
it'll turn into a fight, and at the end of the day who wants to fight with
their kid to go to sleep? No one.
· Having a night light. Again, it provides light for children
to look around their room, see toys, get up, starting missing Mom and Dad. Turn
it off, throw it away. When it is time to sleep, there is no need for light.
All you are doing in enabling them.
Some parents fight this method
stating that their kids won't feel loved if they are left in a room alone. And to that I say that
most kids are exhausted by night time. Usually the reason they are crying is to
fight sleep. Every time you go back into the room you start the vicious cycle
of separation anxiety all over again. They are tired- let your poor kid go to
bed! So what if they scream, kick, cry or whine. They will get over it, get a
good nights sleep and be your blessings in the morning.
Also, I never started him in a
co-sleeper. His bed is his bed, and mine is mine. So I never have to fight the
battle of "Mommy can I sleep with you" because it's never been an
option. I love my kid, and I love him even more when we both get a good nights
sleep.
Another thing I did was move my son
from a crib to a daybed (the second step) when he was one. Then at two I moved
him to a twin bed. And nothing is an option when it comes to this topic for me.
I am the Mom, I make the rules and this has worked beautifully for me.
This method isn't for the weak- I'm
not missing a part of my heart, I just know what's best for my kid and my sanity. The crying is sad, sounds pitiful but
I choose my battles and this is one that I'm not wavering on.
SO if you want your kid to sleep and are going through a
battle, do this. If you like fighting your kid at night over and over and over-
then don't :)
